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Major · Engineering

Design the systems that move people, water, and the built world

Civil Engineering, General prepares students to apply mathematics and structural science to the design of roads, bridges, water systems, and other load-bearing infrastructure. About 13,488 degrees are awarded annually across 323 colleges, with the large majority at the bachelor's level. Median five-year earnings for bachelor's completers run roughly $85,814.

Schools offering
323
Annual completions
13,488
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$86k

About this major

Civil engineering is the discipline behind the physical infrastructure of modern society — bridges, highways, water treatment systems, dams, and the structural frameworks of buildings. The CIP definition frames it as preparing graduates to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development, and operational evaluation of structural, load-bearing, material-moving, transportation, water-resource, and material-control systems, along with environmental safety measures. Coursework builds on a calculus and physics foundation, then applies it to structural analysis, fluid mechanics, geotechnical engineering, transportation systems design, and surveying. Most programs introduce CAD and simulation software in the middle years and culminate in a team capstone project focused on a real infrastructure problem.

The major attracts students who are drawn to the tangible end of engineering — people who want to understand how forces move through a structure, how water flows through a watershed, or how a transportation network handles load. It rewards spatial reasoning and the ability to move between mathematical abstraction and physical intuition. Students who struggle with the connection between analytical methods and their physical consequences typically find upper-division design courses challenging.

On scale: about 13,488 degrees are awarded annually across 323 colleges, with the vast majority at the bachelor's level. That completions figure is relatively modest compared to the 33,431 annual completions in mechanical engineering, which tends to mean less saturated hiring pools at the entry level. Career destinations include civil engineer at a $99,590 median wage and, for those who advance into senior roles, architectural and engineering manager at $167,740. Five-year median earnings for bachelor's completers run approximately $85,814, consistent with a field where early-career salaries are solid but the larger earnings gains come with licensure and experience.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Civil engineers $100k +5.0% Bachelor's degree
Architectural and engineering managers $168k +3.8% Bachelor's degree
Engineering teachers, postsecondary $106k +8.1% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$86k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$71k

Bachelor's

$86k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if the built environment is what makes engineering interesting to you — if you find yourself drawn to how bridges carry load, how cities manage stormwater, or how a new highway interchange is laid out. You may also fit well here if you are comfortable with a multi-year math-and-physics foundation before the work becomes applied, if you are drawn to physical systems rather than digital or electronic ones, and if the idea of eventually holding a Professional Engineer license — the credential that governs independent engineering practice in most public-works contexts — sounds meaningful rather than burdensome. The degree-level data is relevant here: bachelor's completers reach about $85,814 at five years versus roughly $70,850 for associate's completers, and PE licensure requires a four-year ABET-accredited degree, so the investment in the full program carries real practical weight.

Think twice if your interest is primarily in the mechanical or thermal side of engineering — machines, vehicles, heat exchangers — where Mechanical Engineering (33,431 annual completions) is a more direct path. Think twice also if you are expecting immediate hands-on design work from the first year; the early curriculum is heavily mathematical and theoretical, and students who find that portion of the program to be an obstacle rather than a foundation tend to disengage before the more applied coursework begins. And if your interest in structures is specifically in the computational or simulation side rather than the physical design side, you may want to evaluate whether the program at your specific school emphasizes the blend you are looking for.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Civil Engineering, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA 0 265 265
Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX 0 233 233
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA 0 215 215
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 0 189 189
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA 0 165 165
New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ 0 164 164
California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA 0 156 156
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN 0 155 155
Clemson University Clemson, SC 0 149 149
San Diego State University San Diego, CA 0 144 144
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Mechanical Engineering

33,431 completions/yr

Electrical and Electronics Engineering

14,891 completions/yr

Computer Engineering, General

9,312 completions/yr

Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering

8,569 completions/yr

Chemical Engineering

7,914 completions/yr

Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General

6,386 completions/yr

Engineering, General

5,416 completions/yr

Industrial Engineering

4,841 completions/yr

Considering this direction?

We've taken a hard look at the debt, earnings trajectory, and degree-level tradeoffs for the Civil Engineering, General field. Read our verdict before you commit.

Is Civil Engineering, General worth it? Read verdict
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Civil Engineering majors actually study day-to-day?
The curriculum is built on calculus, differential equations, and physics, then applies them to structural analysis, fluid mechanics, soil mechanics, surveying, and transportation systems. Lab work, field exercises, and design projects run alongside lecture. Upper-division coursework introduces computer-aided design and environmental systems. Most programs require a capstone design project where student teams work through a real-world infrastructure problem from site analysis to final specifications. It is technically demanding from the first semester.
Do I need a bachelor's, or is an associate's enough for civil engineering?
For the civil engineer title and the earning potential that comes with it, a bachelor's is the practical credential. The data shows a clear split: bachelor's completers in this major reach a median five-year earnings figure of about $85,814, while associate's completers land at roughly $70,850 — a gap of about $15,000. More importantly, professional licensure as a PE (Professional Engineer), which is required for many public-works and senior roles, starts with a four-year ABET-accredited degree. Associate's programs in civil engineering technology exist and lead to technician-level roles, but the ceiling is substantially lower.
What kinds of jobs do Civil Engineering graduates end up in?
The primary destination is civil engineer, with a median wage of $99,590 and 5% projected job growth. Graduates who move into leadership roles can advance to architectural and engineering manager, where the median wage reaches $167,740 — though that trajectory typically requires a decade or more of experience. Engineering faculty is another path for those pursuing graduate school, at $106,120 median. The field spans infrastructure sectors: transportation, water resources, structural, geotechnical, and environmental engineering all draw from this degree, giving graduates real options across public agencies, consulting firms, and construction companies.
How competitive is the job market for civil engineering graduates?
Civil engineering shows 5% projected job growth — modestly above the 3-4% average across occupations and driven by ongoing infrastructure investment in transportation, water systems, and climate-resilient construction. The annual completions figure of about 13,488 is one of the smaller among major engineering disciplines, which means the graduate supply is not saturated the way computer science or mechanical engineering is. Competition is real at prestige employers and in major metro areas, but graduates with PE licensure or specializations in high-demand areas like water systems and transportation tend to find consistent demand.
Is civil engineering the right fit, or should I consider a related major?
Civil engineering is the right choice if your interest is in physical infrastructure — structures, transportation networks, water systems, and the built environment. If you are more drawn to machines, thermal systems, and manufactured products, Mechanical Engineering (about 33,431 completions annually) is the better fit. If electronics and embedded systems interest you more, Electrical and Electronics Engineering (about 14,891 completions) tracks differently. Computer Engineering (9,312 completions) sits at the hardware-software boundary. Within civil engineering itself, some schools offer specialized concentrations in structural, environmental, or geotechnical tracks — worth comparing if you already know your focus area.
What's a realistic earnings picture after a civil engineering degree?
Five-year median earnings across degree levels sit at approximately $85,750. Bachelor's completers specifically land at about $85,814 at that point, reflecting that most graduates are still in their first or second engineering role. The civil engineer occupation itself posts a $99,590 median wage — the gap from five-year earnings reflects that not all graduates are fully established in the field yet. The career ceiling is substantially higher: architectural and engineering managers reach $167,740 median. Entry-level salaries at public agencies tend to run lower than at private consulting firms, but long-term trajectory is consistently above average for a four-year degree.